Planning Conversation Memory Mat

(adapted from Center for Cognitive Coaching)

Sample Probes:

  • “Never?”
  • “What stops you?”
  • “Think what, specifically?”
  • “Which teachers (or students or colleagues) specifically?”
  • “Better than what?”

Paraphrase

  • “You’re thinking that . . . “
  • “On the one hand . . .”
  • “So a strong belief for you is . . .”

  1. Clarify Goals
  2. “What do you want them to leave thinking/feeling/able to do?”
  3. “What are your goals/objectives/outcomes/purpose?”
  4. “What do you want them to walk away with?”
/
  1. Establish Personal Learning Focus
  2. “What is most important for you to pay attention to in yourself?”
  3. “What do you want to be sure you do very well?
How might you know you’re doing it?”
  • “If you could video tape this lesson/meeting/professional
learning engagement, what would you want to see/her in
yourself when you replay it?”
  1. Specify Success Indicators and plan for collecting evidence
  • “How will youknow you are successful?
  • “What might success look/sound like?”
  • “What evidence will you collect?”
/
  1. Reflect on Coaching Process and explore refinements
  • “As you reflect on this conversation, how has it supported your learning?”
  • “How might you incorporate this process into your work at your school?”
  • “How might you incorporate this process into your own thinking?”

  1. Anticipate Approaches
  • “What might be some of the strategies you’ve considered?”
  • “What are some strategies you have used before that might be successful with this group?”
  • “What are you hunches about how ______will view this lesson/meeting/professional learning?”
  • IN what sequence will you use your strategies?”

Reflecting Conversation

Center for Cognitive Coaching

Reflect on Coaching

“As you reflect on this

conversation, how has it

supported your learning?”

“How might you incorporate

this process into your own

thinking?”

Commit to Application

“So how might you apply your

new learning?”

“How might you ensure that

you maintain that focus?”

Construct New Learning

“What learning(s) do you want

to take with you to future

situations?”

“What do you want to stay

mindful of from now on?”

Analyze Casual Factors

“What comparisons might you

make between the lesson you

had planned/envisioned and

the one you taught?”

“What effect did your decisions

Have on the results you

achieved?”

“What are your hunches about

what caused …?”

Summarize Impressions

“How do you think it went?”

“How are you feeling about …?

Carrie Ekey, Literacy Coaches Training, January 2014Day 2Page 1

Reflections and Feedback

January 31, 2014

Name ______

Session Outcomes

Coaches and teacher leaders will:

  • Observe and understand the process of building rapport and trust with adult colleagues
  • Begin to understand the coaching process
  • Use their understanding of conferring strategies as they engage in individual student conferences and coach others in their use
  • Observe classroom environments and further reflect upon their own classroom environment

Strongly
Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree
  1. I am beginning to understand the behaviors of building rapport and trust with adult colleagues in the coaching process.

  1. I have a beginning understanding of the coaching process of an individual colleague.

  1. I learned about or deepened my understanding of conferring.

  1. I learned through being coached and coaching another colleague.

  1. I used my observation of other classroom environments to further reflect on my own classroom or my school environment.

Please feel free to add comments on the reverse side:

What was most beneficial to you in today’s session?

What suggestions would you make?

Other comments

Carrie Ekey, Literacy Coaches Training, January 2014Day 2Page 1